Decision 44 COM 7B.172

Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (Peru) (C/N 274)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 37 COM 7B.35, 39 COM 7B.36, 41 COM 7B.36 and 43 COM 7B.37, adopted at its 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 41st (Krakow, 2017) and 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the development of strategic management documents for the property, including a Comprehensive Strategy of the Amazonian Access and a Strategic Vision for the future management of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu/National Archeological Park of Machu Picchu (SHM-PANM);
4. Noting the planned approval of a new Master Plan for the property in 2021 and the need for a new SHM Public Use Plan for 2022, requests the State Party to ensure their development is effectively harmonized with existing strategies, visions, operational plans, regulations and sanction measures, and to ensure their effective implementation to protect and manage the cultural and natural heritage of the property;
5. Also welcomes the completion of the review of the 2015 carrying capacity study and the setting of visitor limits based on the defined carrying capacity to preserve the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and also requests the State Party to implement measures to effectively manage visitation, in line with the carrying capacity to ensure the OUV of the property;
6. Also welcomes the information on the new Visitor Centre and encourages the State Party to finalize the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and to continue the information campaign in order to gain the support of the local population;
7. Also noting the development of the International Airport Chinchero-Cusco 60 km from the property, further requests the State Party to ensure that the potential impacts of all infrastructure developments, including indirect and cumulative impacts such as increased tourism pressure, are appropriately assessed, in line with ICOMOS and IUCN impact assessment guidance documents, and also that visitation to the property is regulated based on the established carrying capacity of the property;
8. Requests furthermore the State Party to undertake the Studies on Alternative Transportation to the Ilaqta based on the established carrying capacity and OUV of the property, prior to any decisions regarding new transportation projects;
9. Reiterates its request for the State Party to ensure that any major infrastructure transport project, such as airports, railways, cable cars, tunnels and roads, are rigorously assessed at an early stage of planning in terms of their impact on the property’s OUV, on its wider setting and on the proposed future Machu Picchu-Choquequirao Biosphere Reserve, and that the corresponding Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) of the projects be submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before any projects are approved or works undertaken;
10. Notes further progress towards a proposal for a Machu Picchu-Choquequirao Biosphere Reserve and also encourages the State Party to continue this process when COVID-19 conditions allow;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.